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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1877)
THE WEST SHORE. August. 224 Salem, the capital of Oregon, of which Wfl give a bird's-eye view in this num ber of our paper, is situated "ti the Wil lamette liver, in the heart of the Willa mette valley, fifty miles south of Port land, and about the tame distance east from the Pacific ocean. Our engraving, good to it is, but faintly represents the tteautiei of its location and .surround ings. It occupies a plain, with a gentle slope to the river; is hacked and sur rounded by a country beautifully diver sified w ith woo ls. Improved farms, and OWn prairies, skirted with hill both picturesque and tillable. It fronts the river and the handsome nidge of culti vated highlands known as the Polk Count)' hills; has wide and handsome streets, with good sidewalks, and long lines of shade trees; two public squares, and a beautiful stream of water running through it, furnishing immense water power. Salem is emphatically the city of churches, having twelve different church bofiding, In population of 4,00. The Capitol building, not yet completed, is a hue structure, which will cost, when completed, $p0,ooo. It has a hand- somc Court HoiiC costing $110,000$ five free school buildings; and is also the seat of the Willamette University, a very prosperous institution, under the direction of the Methodist Church, and of a Catholic Female Seminary of con siderable importance. Salem is well adapted to manufac tures, from the abundance of water power obtained by connecting Mill creek w ith the Santiam river, by means of a canal several miles in length. For merly the second largest Woolen Mill in the State was located here, but was destroyed by lire, and has not yet been rebuilt. At present its chief manufac tures cotui&t of one merchant Flouring Mill, with a capacity of Soo barrels per dav; one custom Flouring Mill; one Saw Mill, capacity 25,000 feet per day; one Linseed Oil Mill; two Sash and Door Factories; two Furniture Fac tories; one Chair Factory; two Foun drv and Machine Shops; one Plow Factory; one Bag Factory; one Water Company and Gas Company, and minor enterprises. By the Constitution of the State, all the State institutions should be located at Salem. At present there are the Penitentiary, mid an Asylum for the Deaf, Dunib and Blind, established then,-, As Uiv State becomes able, si BIRDSEYE MEW OF SALEM. THECtfl a Ststt Cophol . M. mm Cmmjt Com! Hv tllamrtir l'iufr.l Icodwy o( the Sccnd Hout . Public School Wuoraoib,